Mark ran all the way into Yarl Forest, his breathing slightly labored.
After looking around and finding no one, he lowered his head to look at the violet tattoo on his left wrist.
The yellowed energy bar and the ☆ within it told him that this was not an illusion.
The Combat Bracer had indeed crossed over with him.
"Combat Bracer!" Although he had never obtained this divine artifact, he had seen posts on forums from elite players who possessed it.
The yellowed energy bar was merely the lowest grade. As for the highest grade, not only had Mark never seen it, even the top players among fighters knew nothing about it.
The highest grade he knew of was purple ★★★★★★★.
The developers had once said that purple seven stars was not the limit of this divine artifact, but they had never revealed just how strong its true peak could be.
Yet the player who possessed a purple ★★★★★★★ Combat Bracer was already an overwhelmingly powerful force on the server.
His physique had been enhanced by the Combat Bracer to an unbelievable degree.
Although Mark did not know why the Combat Bracer had become a violet tattoo and crossed over with him, its power was absolutely incomparable.
"Oh... right, the Devil Fruit ability..."
Mark suddenly remembered the Devil Fruit he had eaten. He still did not know what Devil Fruit he had obtained.
After sensing the changes in his physique, he felt around and found a strange ripple of power.
Buzz—
"How is this possible?" Mark stared at his right hand in shock.
A black power shrouded his right palm, corroding everything...
Then a faint suction came from his palm, drawing the nearest pebble into it.
Shouldn't this power have appeared in the New World?
To verify his guess, Mark fully activated the power of the fruit.
Darkness Power immediately surged from his body, and his right hand, wrapped in darkness, slammed fiercely into the ground.
Crash!
Streams of Darkness Power poured from his palm into the earth, spreading in all directions like thick black fog.
But when the darkness had spread less than ten meters, Mark felt his stamina draining rapidly and had no choice but to stop.
Watching the sand, rocks, and trees before him slowly sink and be swallowed, delight flashed in his eyes.
"The Dark-Dark Fruit. It really is this ability..."
Blackbeard's power—the most vicious Devil Fruit in legend, the nemesis of Devil Fruit Users. It possessed an ability akin to black hole gravity and could even strip away the powers of other Devil Fruits.
That legendary power had actually fallen into his hands.
"Hiss... that shouldn't be possible. Didn't Thatch obtain the Dark-Dark Fruit in the New World? I'm in the East Blue right now..." Mark could not make sense of it.
What he did not know was that if he had not come here, that fruit would have been obtained by the man he had killed. It would then have traveled to the New World aboard the ship of Du Feld, the King of Loan Sharks, before eventually making its way into Thatch's hands.
Of course, now all of that had been claimed by Mark.
He looked at the violet tattoo on his left hand, then at the churning Darkness Power on his right.
Mark suddenly wanted to burst out laughing. Zehahahaha.
But he stopped himself. That was too Blackbeard-like, and that was not good.
PS: Mark: I've got the Dark-Dark Fruit. Is the Tremor-Tremor Fruit still far away? I just wonder whether I can eat two Devil Fruits... (Author: He can... he absolutely can! Without eating the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, just one Dark-Dark Fruit won't be enough for 13 slots...)
Combat Bracer, Dark-Dark Fruit...
The sudden arrival of those two powers made Mark train even harder.
He never wanted to experience the pain from years ago again.
Gaban's words—"If you don't want to be killed, then start becoming stronger from now on. Become so strong that no one in this world can ever press you down!"—became his ambition.
Therefore, if he did not want to be killed in this world, he had only one choice: become stronger.
He swung the Mountain-Splitting Axe in his hand with all his strength, chopping down tree after tree before him.
The Darkness Power wrapped around the axe blade made the entire Mountain-Splitting Axe seem sharper and more corrosive.
By evening...
"Gaban, I'm heading back!"
Mark handed Gaban some usable lumber from his haul.
"Fine. Be careful on your way back, kid." Gaban's tone was calm, but Mark could still hear a trace of concern in it.
Watching Mark's departing figure, Gaban's eyes flickered slightly. That corpse had probably been the work of this kid.
But as one of Roger's former right-hand men, Gaban could still see some changes in Mark.
Mark... had become more confident...
After returning home, Mark made himself a simple dinner.
After eating, Mark picked up the Mountain-Splitting Axe and went into the yard for his daily training.
Whenever he had time, Mark trained, because he always remembered Gaban's words and never forgot his ambition.
He did not want to experience those dark days from years ago again—the sight of his parents being controlled and killed by the Marines, and his father being forced to place him into the sea.
He could not forget the little wooden basin that had carried him across the waves, nor the moment Gaban had picked him up and adopted him.
Mark's Mountain-Splitting Axe cleaved through the air—sweeping, slashing, chopping, hacking, lifting. Every move was unadorned, but each was lethally powerful.
The power of the Dark-Dark Fruit burst forth unconsciously, shrouding the Mountain-Splitting Axe. The entire weapon seemed to have been submerged in darkness, billowing with dense Darkness Power.
Swish, swish, swish!
Black afterimages streaked through the air, tearing through the wind and splitting the sky.
By evening, the moon had quietly climbed into the sky.
Mark withdrew his Mountain-Splitting Axe in exhaustion. Sweat streamed down his body, and moonlight reflected off his sturdy frame and muscles.
After washing up, Mark checked the time and went to bed.
He still had work tomorrow.
Gaban had raised him for fifteen years, but he had not spent those fifteen years freeloading.
From the time he was two years old, he had begun working for Gaban in exchange for a chance to survive.
At first, he washed clothes. Later, he cooked and carried water, until eventually he had a small home of his own.
He learned axe techniques from Gaban, trained his body, and strengthened himself.
Everything had been earned through his own efforts. Of course, that had also been Gaban's intention. In fact, not only Mark, but Nell Dais, whom Gaban had also saved, had been treated the same way.
Over fifteen years, his combat strength had not become particularly great, but his foundation was exceptionally solid.
That solid foundation gave him the qualifications to climb to the peak. Perhaps that was how the strong of the seas educated others.
"Sleep early... I have to get to the shop early tomorrow."
After quietly wishing the Mountain-Splitting Axe beside him good night, Mark closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
In his dream—
Fifteen years ago...
"Do you want my treasure? You can have it all if you want it. Go find it! I left all my treasure there!"
One Piece Roger's final declaration before his death set off the tide of the Great Pirate Era.
The number of pirates throughout the world soared. The older generation fell one after another, while the new generation of Four Emperors rose to power. The Shichibukai, who answered to the World Government, quietly began to take root at that time.
"I'm truly sorry, but if you want someone to blame, blame that Gol D. Roger."
Marine Ensign Nezumi stroked his three whiskers and let out a shrill, eerie laugh. "Hehehe! If not for that man, how could I have been promoted so quickly? With your help, I'm sure I'll be promoted again very soon."
Rod Bavat said nothing. He tightly held his wife in his arms, his face filled with hatred.
His wife, Helvi Rose, was already crying so hard that she could barely speak. She carefully whispered into Bavat's ear, "What about our son?"
There was a trace of hope in her voice.
Bavat's voice was low. "My dear, I've already sent our precious son away."
"That's good... that's good..."
"What are you two talking about?" A vile voice sounded beside them.
They looked up.
A flash of hatred crossed Rose's eyes as she shouted, "You're a filthy maggot destined for hell, bird droppings on a bolong tree, a bastard even more despicable than pirates..."
"Ohoho!" A hint of viciousness appeared on Ensign Nezumi's face. "Beautiful lady, your words make me very angry. So I think I should give you a perfect response..."
As he spoke, he beckoned to the Marines behind him.
"You, come here. Take these two to the execution platform... I hope to hear a wonderful song..."
Ensign Nezumi's tone was frivolous, but the hint of killing intent within it made the Marine tremble. He hurriedly nodded.
Mark had only been around one year old then, but he was an adult who had crossed over. Lying in a small wooden basin, he slowly drifted out to sea.
The flames rising from that island, the two people bound to the burning pillars, and the agonized screams they let out as they were scorched.
Mark knew those were his parents—a loving civilian couple from Cocoyasi Village. Yet Ensign Nezumi had killed them just like that, killing them as pirates.
He had been heartbroken then. That one year had not been long, but the care and love of his biological parents had been deeply carved into his heart.